Steve Cooper has been sacked as Nottingham Forest head coach, ending a two-year stay with the club.
The 44-year-old has been dismissed after a run of one win in 13 matches and five defeats in the last six. It has left Forest 17th in the Premier League, only five points above 18th-placed Luton Town, who have played a match fewer.
Cooper's final match in charge was a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Friday.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
Cooper's time at the club came with a lot of success though. When he was appointed in September 2021, Forest were rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.
But Cooper led his side to a fourth-place finish that season and the club ended their 23-year absence from the top flight after beating Huddersfield Town in the Championship playoff final.
Last season, Forest enjoyed several memorable results under Cooper as they beat Liverpool and Arsenal while drawing with eventual Premier League champions Manchester City.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis told the club's official website: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his superb contribution to our football club. His achievement in guiding Forest back to the Premier League will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history.
“We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us, as well as the incredible connection he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham.
“Steve will always remain a friend of the club and will forever be welcome at The City Ground. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Nuno set to take charge?
Reports suggest Nuno Espirito Santo is the leading candidate to replace Cooper at Forest.
The 49-year-old would take charge of his third Premier League club, after previously being head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur.
Nuno recently left Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, after 16 months in charge.
During his time with Wolves, Nuno guided them to back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the Premier League, the best the club have achieved in the competition.
He oversaw Wolves' first European campaign for 39 years, taking them to the quarter-finals of the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League, where they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Sevilla.
The Portuguese was then named head coach of Spurs in June 2021, but was dismissed a little over four months later.
He has been named the Barclays Manager of the Month on four occasions.